I bet you didn’t know it, but February 26^th is National Pistachio Day. And if you’ve ever tasted a pistachio before, you’ll agree that they definitely deserve their own day of recognition! Not only does this tiny nut pack a bunch of flavor, it’s also chalk full of benefits for your health!

Here are a few fun facts about the pistachio:

• They grow on trees and are native to the Middle East
• You gotta’ have patience! A pistachio tree takes 7-10 years to mature.
• Pistachios are harvested in September by machines that shake the trees and it takes less than a minute!
• People in the Middle East call it the “smiling nut” and in China it’s called the “happy nut”. Take a taste and you’ll see why!
• Pistachios are nutritious, so eat them up!

Snacking on pistachios is one of the healthier options in the nut family. They contain fewer calories and more potassium and vitamin K per serving than other varieties of nuts. They can help lower your cholesterol, and they also contain l-arginine, which can make the lining of your arteries more flexible. Which means you are less likely to develop blood clots that could cause a heart attack (remember it’s also American Heart Month). And since we are still in the early part of 2014, we should all be mindful of the dreaded scale! Pistachios can help with weight management because the fiber content makes them more filling and will help you sustain that full feeling throughout the day.

If you want to reap the benefits of all that the pistachio has to offer but don’t necessarily care for the taste of the plain nut, there are a variety of ways that you can incorporate them into other dishes. Here is a great recipe found on Food.com that includes pistachios, Mediterranean Stuffed Tomatoes. Make sure celebrate National Pistachio Day today by cracking open this nutritious nut and don’t forget to share!

Info from: http://holidayinsights.com & http://healthyeating.sfgate.com